Opinion | The love and crave for Dr. Riek Machar fades drastically among the Nuer communities

By Gatwech Puoch

OPINION – There hadn’t been in the Nuer story a single leader or any other known prophet that stolen the hearts and minds of this community, even late prophet Ngundeng was rejected by Eastern Jikany Nuer (Gajaak)where his father belonged to, except Dr Riek Machar. He has been framed as the beacon of hope for hopeless, as well as the second Messiah after making the infamous Nassir declaration in 1991 against dictatorial leadership of late Dr John Garang. During 1991 split the Nuer had sacrificed lives and joint him enormously with an attempts of helping him succeed in his quest for leadership change in order to transform SPLM/A into democratic Movement. Garang must go was Machar’s slogan! However, with reasons until today not understood by many; Riek Machar decided not to fight the war head-on, instead softly approached the war against Garang which culminated to so many deaths from the Nuer society coupled with other unhappy ending stories of his rebellion.

To make the matter worse;  Machar at the end of the year 2002 lost the war to Garang and all his forces were left in disarray and only to be branded “Unconfirmed Nyagaat” to join the SPLA when Salva Kiir took over the chairmanship of SPLM after the death of John Garang in helicopter crash in 2005. To be correct, only few Nuer made it to the ranks and files of SPLA army, but majority were integrated through the political card of late Paulino Matip Nhial.

Dr. Riek sat comfortably as the country’s vice president for 8 years and done little to see why his army was left out from the national cake. After the Nuer genocide in 2013, majority of Nuer joint him hoping to see a change from the way Riek Machar used to manage his Movement. Though few Nuer politicians who knew him were skeptical and reluctant to join him and preferred to stay with the enemy in Juba citing what they termed: “Riek’s weakness and won’t be able to fight Kiir according to their experience while working with him during the 1991 split”.

For the young Nuer intellectuals who didn’t know much about Riek’s political mischiefs and failures thought the old men were just full of hatreds and dream for the love for money to find reasons to remain with the regime in Juba. Majority of these Nuer seniors were nicked named “Nuer-Wew”. However as the story repeat itself; the old chaps were proven right by Riek Machar by failing to adequately arm his forces to fight a full scale war as the Nuer community had wished. Majority of his Generals whom he had dismissed were arguably pressing him to fight the Juba regime, such that him/Machar could easily unseated Salva Kiir and sit on the high throne, as the president of the country. To Machar’s world, this warmongering kind of advice didn’t go well to his ears and his wife due to fear of facing ICC, or other justifications they may have.

It’s this failure to fully equipping his forces that led to his defeat at so many front-lines, and not only that, he was at the same time robbed off his position of vice president by General Taban Deng Gai who later on jailed him in South Africa for almost two and half years.

After his release from house arrest in South Africa, most of his supporters and commanders advised him not to go to Juba unless security arrangement is properly put in place and fully implemented. Again and again, he was wrongly advised by his special adviser which is none but his wife/Angelina Teny and had only to listen to her. His going to Juba and time spent over there unanimously without consulting with his supporters and army is what today causing this division and mayhem in the camp of SPLM-IO. A huge and serious detest against him by majority of Nuer community in the contemporary story.

The Nuer community feels that they lost the war against Dinka in 1991 split, 2013, 2016, 2021 due to lack of seriousness and poor leadership by Riek Machar. Machar’s detest doesn’t only emerge from within the region but diaspora front has unequivocally denounced him, a rejection which Machar had never experienced in his lifetime in the political arena.

Unlike the past internal splits within the SPLM-IO, the claim and takeover of the SPLM-IO under Manganese declaration by Gatwech Dual saw another nail on Machar’s political coffin. It looks like this is totally a new political paradigm for the Nuer community to say enough is enough to the person whom they perceived as their second Ngundeng for over thirty years. The very same person who turned to bring them shame of war defeats after defeats plus other humiliations after humiliations from the Dinka community.

The dislike of Riek Machar by Nuer community is growing like a wildfire, unless his small gods and Ngundeng will do him a miracle. In sum; what the Nuer detest about Machar is not just about his personality but the way he has been holding them hostage of being Dinka slaves for years. The Nuer has finally come to realize that Machar is an anti-Nuer progressive agent who has been sent to them by illusional forces to disarm them in the land of Kush. The agony, hardship and suffering this community has been enduring through years of Riek’s failed political mischief is unthinkable.

The Nuer community has lost thousands of thousands of lives, let alone properties destruction, economic lost and generational lost to illiteracy whom are all attributed to ‘Riek the Black’.

Dr. Machar; you owe the Nuer community a big apology. Yes, the lack of security arrangements in Juba is not your making but the work of enemy. However, the Nuer charged you fully for your miscalculation to accept going to Juba without security arrangement being firstly implemented. This may not go down well with you, as you may think who cares after all eating your retirement dollars with Kiir in Juba. But guess what; the Nuer community will not forgive your children and this will haunt them for generations coming. Otherwise, pray to your gods to show you a miracle to save your respect from the very community.

Note: An article elaborating 300 reasons why Riek Machar must relinquish power to competent Nuer is coming out in few days.

The author is a concerned citizen of South Sudan.

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